Stir-Fry Spicy Rotini Pasta

It has been a great challenge to prepare a pasta dish for Chef Phoebe. Chef is very picky when it comes to pasta dish. Ready made pasta sauces are definitely a big NO-NO for the chef: White sauce is way too creamy while tomato base sauce is too sour.

I have recently discovered a pasta recipe which require no single drop of the ready made pasta sauce apart of some tomato sauce to further bring out the taste of the fresh tomatoes.

There is slightly more time spent on the prep work, but trust me that it is worth the effort as the pasta tastes amazingly good. The taste profile of the pasta surpassed any bottled pasta sauce.

Ingredients200g boiled pasta (best with macaroni or rotini pasta)100g of sausage (sliced)2 cloves of garlic (minced)1 onion (diced)2 tomato (diced)1/2 yellow capsicum (diced)1/2 green capsicum (diced)2 stalks of red chili (finely diced)2 tbsp of oyster sauce2 tbsp of tomato saucesalt and pepper to tastecooking oilchili flakes (optional)fried shallots (optional)Directions1. Heat the pan with some cooking oil and stir fry the garlic and onion til they turn lightly brown.2. Add in the sausage and finely diced chili and stir fry for 1 minute.3. Add in the diced tomato and capsicum, stir well.4. Add in the tomato sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and salt and bring everything to boil.5. Add in the pasta and stir well till all the pasta is well coated with the sauce.

Plate out your pasta and garnish it with some fried shallots. You may sprinkle some chili flakes on your pasta for an extra kick, if you prefer the spicier version.

Japanese Miso Soba

I was torn in between choosing the Japanese or the Korean miso paste. The latter deemed to be more economical. The Korean miso comes in a tube of 400g vs. the Japanese miso, in plastic packet with 250g. Paying the same price, it will be no brainer to opt for the Korean miso. Being the only stock left on shelf and with shorter expiry date, I ended up buying the Japanese Shinshu Shiro Miso.

Honestly, I did not have high expectation with Shinshu Shiro Miso as I felt I had paid a premium price for it. That is the typical thought of a consumer. The Shinshu Shiro Miso
did not disappoint me at all as it is indeed higher in quality and definitely worth the value. The paste are compact and fine, with very
pleasant fermented bean paste aroma. It dissolve easily and form a great miso taste to the soup which comparable to Japanese restaurants standard.

Sharing in the post is the miso soba I made with Shinshu Shiro Miso paste.IngredientsSoba noodles1 tbsp miso paste1 tsp sesame oil1 tsp sugar1/2 tsp soy sauce1/2 chicken cube400ml watersesame seedseaweedsoft-boiled eggscallion (chopped)DirectionsSoba1. Cook the soba in boiling water, follow the time prescribed on the noodle package. 2. Drained the soba and transfer them into cold water.3. Using your hand to wash off the excess starch and set the soba aside for later use.Miso Soup4. Heat up 400ml water in a pot and add in 1/2 of the chicken cube. (Alternatively, you can use homemade chicken broth or dashi stock)5. Using a strainer and a spoon, slowly dissolve the miso paste in the chicken soup.6. Mix sesame oil, sugar and soy sauce in the serving bowl and pour in the miso soup7. Add in the soba noodles and soft-boiled egg8. Garnish the miso soba noodles with seaweed, chopped scallions and sesame seeds.The miso soba
tasted insanely good with all the garnishing ingredients. It is
definitely a MUST to have all them in. Not to forget the magical sesame
oil too as it really does a wonder to the soup with merely a few drops.

I love the creamy egg yolk of my soft-boiled egg. What a satisfying meal in the rainy and cold boxing day.